I'm a wife to my "Mr. Right". A momma of five. A maker of slow food and simple living. A collector of memories, a keeper of books, and a champion for books that make memories. An addict who likes my half-and-half with a splash of coffee. A fractured pot transformed by the One Who makes broken things beautiful. I heart homeschooling, brake for libraries, and am glad you're here with me on the journey! Be sure to subscribe to my monthly newsletter. Or, follow along with Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google +, Youtube, or Pinterest.

Monday, June 8, 2015

10 Verses of RHEMA for the Homeschooling Momma

Every summer, as I pack away all-things-last-year and bring out the shiny and new of next fall, I begin to pray. I ask God to give me a specific verse to claim for the coming school year. In His providence, He always seems to direct me to verses that He knows I will need in the coming days.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 declares that, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." ESV

In the Greek language, the words that God gives are RHEMA words...words that speak directly to a specific situation at a specific time.

A passage of Scripture might speak to you in a completely different way than it speaks to me, because it is RHEMA...it has deep personal meaning and comes alive to each individual reader in a unique way.

Although I don't necessarily think that every Christian should homeschool, I know, without a doubt, that I should.

God called me to that particular "good work" and equips me to do it by providing RHEMA each year.

When the honeymoon phase of fall gives way to the monotonous routine of winter, I cling to my RHEMA. Like the Little Engine That Could, I plow forward bolstered and confident in my calling. Each year, my verse becomes a compass guiding me due north. It provides words of truth when homeschooling gets hard. Sometimes it is filled with encouragement, but more often the not, the verse that God directs me towards affirms the reasons WHY He wants me to homeschool.

Perhaps, you need some affirmation too.

Perhaps, you're not sure if you can even do this thing called HOMESCHOOL.

I won't begin to play the part of the Holy Spirit and hand-select the RHEMA that only God can choose for you. But, might I share a few verses that continue to show homeschooling to be a God-calling in my life?
On the good days.
On the bad ones.

10 Verses of RHEMA for Homeschooling

James 1:27

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress, andto keep oneself from being polluted by the world." NIV (emphasis mine)

Homeschooling is a tool I can use to help keep my children from being polluted from worldly thinking and lifestyles.

Proverbs 1:7-9

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and forsake not your mother's teaching, for they are graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck." ESV

While homeschooling, my children can get the wisdom of God's truth from the two people who love them most, mom and dad...every single day.

Deuteronomy 11:19

"You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." ESV

Teaching TRUTH to my children is an all-day-job. How could I accomplish that if they were only with me for two or three waking hours each day?

Proverbs 13:20

"Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm." ESV

The "companions" of a traditional classroom don't always choose to walk wisely. The socialization offered through homeschooling allows my kids to be around many wise people...both adults and other children.

I Timothy 6:20

"Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge," NIV

Godless chatter and false knowledge? I know from experience, there is a whole lot of that in a traditional classroom.

Proverbs 2:6

"For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;" ESV

I have the privilege, as a homeschooling mom, to center our entire day on the TRUTH of God's Word. Everything that my children learn gets filtered through the grid of Scripture. His wisdom provides knowledge and understanding in all areas of life, not just the ones that can be compiled on a worksheet.

Mark 12:17

"Jesus said to them, 'Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's.' And they marveled at him."

Can I, in good conscience, hand my children over to a government-run school system that has completely erased any trace of God from its hallways?

Luke 17:2

"It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble." ESV

Sending my children into a godless environment to fend for themselves eight hours a day would, no doubt, contribute to a potential "stumbling." One day, I will answer for each decision I have made in the training of my children, including those regarding their education.

Matthew 19:14

"but Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven'." ESV

I've been told that the public school provides a way for children to "GO into all the world". But, whenever Jesus addressed children in Scripture, He always invited them to "COME"...to draw near to Him. Is sending a child out to make him GO contrary to Christ's words regarding young children?

Philippians 4:8

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." ESV

As a homeschool mom, I can handpick a curriculum that is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and commendable. These are the things that I want my children to think on all day long.

A final word

My RHEMA word from God will, undoubtedly, be different from yours. I'd encourage you to call out to Him in prayer this summer. Ask for a WORD...for some RHEMA...some truth that will help you homeschool with purpose.

Write it out on paper and then write it on your heart. Throughout the coming school year, it will affirm what you know to be true.
You were called to homeschool.
On the good days.
On the bad ones.

But he answered, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word (translated RHEMA in the Greek) that comes from the mouth of God.' " Matthew 4:4 (ESV)

15 comments:

I blog hopped over here via another blog I was reading--the title of your post caught my attention as I have been really trying to use scripture to hear and understand what God would have our family do in the year ahead. Thanks for your like-minded advice this morning. :)

Thank you so much for your post! I thought my husband and I were the only ones who sought the Lord for RHEMAs! The Lord has blessed my husband and I with many children. A number of them I have lost early on. The precious ones He has allowed me to carry full term and raise,each have a RHEMA the Lord gave me to hold on to throughout my pregnancies. Each time I felt fearful that I might lose the precious baby I was reminded of the Scripture the Lord gave me. With my last baby (#7 on earth) I could not understand why I had so many RHEMA's. Then when our precious baby was born I understood. Our baby was born with a cleft lip and palate. The many passages of Scripture have help carry me through many dark and lonely days. One of the passages the Lord gave was Isaiah 41:20, "that they may see and know, may consider and understand together, that the hand of the Lord has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it." When I begin feeling like I failed my son, the Lord is so merciful to remind me that it was nothing I did to cause the cleft lip and palate but His own hand created my baby this way for His own glory! Thanks again for a wonderful dose of encouragement!

Sarah, thank you so much for entrusting me with your precious story. It sounds as if God was with you each step of the way giving you the next WORD you needed. What a lovely testament to His loving kindness.

Oh. GOSH! I love when other sisters talk about receiving a rhema word from God! God speaks to us ALL THE TIME! We can hear His specific word to us when we ask Him for wisdom and direction!During this season of our homeschool life, it is vital that I hear from....and heed God's word into my heart!Thank you for this!! <3

I have never heard of RHEMA before, but I am super excited to dig into the Word and find out more about it. Seeing your list of RHEMA scriptures was so refreshing and affirming of why, we too, home school. Thank you for letting all of us in on your heart! Appreciate your blog so so much, Jamie!

Krista, the word RHEMA comes from the Greek form of the word "word" in certain Scriptures. It literally means "an utterance" but has a connotation of specific words for a specific time for a specific purpose. It is what makes God's word so living and active.

A Note from Jamie

Welcome to the Unlikely Homeschool! I'm so glad you've joined me on the journey. Like all of life's greatest adventures, homeschooling, for us, has been filled with many unexpected surprises...both triumphs and occasional tragedies. The path will probably never be straight, but with our eyes firmly fixed on our Guide and the calling that He has placed in our lives to "teach them when we sit at home, when we walk by the way, when we lie down, and when we rise up," the journey is sure to be memorable.

If you have a question, an idea worth sharing, or just need a good chat with a girlfriend, email me at: theunlikelyhomeschool@yahoo.com

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